By Nia Wong
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
SEATTLE, Wash. — As sunlight slips away and the familiar gray cloaks the skies over Seattle, a cuisinier in his signature white coat is serving up the warmth and spices of classic East Javanese dishes to a cozy crowd in Northgate.
Facing an intimate audience at Hotel Nexus on Nov. 18, Chef Alan Ramdani Warahadi commanded their senses with each lemongrass stalk pounded, shallot diced, and chili that was fated to sizzle on his sauté pan for a one-night only cooking demonstration hosted by the Seattle-Surabaya Sister City Association (SSSCA).
Taking in the blended aromatics was easiest at the hotel ballroom’s front seats, which is where friends Venina Tandela and Hanisa Anderson situated themselves to watch Chef Warahadi.
“It’s rainy in Seattle, so I would probably go with the beef rawon (soup),” said Anderson, a food blogger also known as Federal Way Foodie.
“It’s soupy, it’s comforting, like warm. It’s different [(from]) any other Asian dishes.”
The rich, dark stew was among several popular dishes featured at the showcase, shining a spotlight on Indonesia’s East Java province and the country’s second-largest city, Surabaya.
Seattle and Surabaya are roughly between 8,000 to 9,000 miles apart, but have been sister cities since 1991 and this cooking showcase is just a taste of the aspirations that June Cutler, president of the SSSCA, has for the Emerald City and the City of Heroes.
“I think it’s important, especially nowadays in the modern world where people are eager to learn more, for those who cannot really travel, to bring Surabaya and Indonesia to them here in Seattle,” said Cutler.
SSSCA hosts two cultural events per year in Seattle, with the support of Yohpy Ichsan Wardana, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in San Francisco who was also in attendance.
The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in San Francisco supports Indonesian nationals in eight states such as Washington, and Wardana hopes to revive more socioeconomic programs such as SSSCA’s Indonesian cooking showcase, through his post on the West Coast to help foster economic and cultural ties between the two major port cities.
“We hope to connect [Seattle and Surabaya] on how they can exchange expertise in maritime issues and increase people-to-people connections,” said Wardana.
For those who missed out on this cooking demonstration, recipes can be found here and Cutler says there are more opportunities to learn more through SSSCA’s next event, which is scheduled in Spring of 2026.
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